Robot cleaner, controlling method of the same, and robot cleaning system

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are a robot cleaner, a controlling method of the same, and a robot cleaning system. The robot cleaner can perform a cleaning operation with respect to only a user&#39;s desired region, in a repeated and concentrated manner. Further, as the robot cleaner runs on a user&#39;s desired region in a manual manner, a designated region can be precisely set. Further, as the robot cleaner performs a cleaning operation by setting a user&#39;s desired region, only a simple configuration is added to a terminal device such as a remote control unit. Accordingly, additional costs can be reduced, and a malfunction can be prevented.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(a), this application claims the benefit ofearlier filing date and right of priority to Korean Application No.10-2012-0061754, filed on Jun. 8, 2012, the contents of which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a robot cleaner, and particularly, toa robot cleaner capable of performing a cleaning operation with respectto a user's desired region.

2. Background of the Disclosure

Generally, a robot has been developed for an industrial use, and hasmanaged some parts of factory automation. As the robot is applied tovarious fields recently, medical robots, space robots, home robots, etc.are being developed.

A representative of the home robot is a robot cleaner, a kind of homeelectronic appliance capable of performing a cleaning operation bysucking peripheral dust or foreign materials with autonomously moving ona predetermined region. This robot cleaner is provided with a chargeablebattery, and is provided with an obstacle sensor for avoiding anobstacle while moving. Further, robot cleaners, capable of performing aself position recognition function and a map creating function usingcameras or various types of sensors, are being developed.

When a robot cleaner performs a cleaning operation with respect to alarge space, the following problems may occur. First of all, it takes alot of time to perform the cleaning operation. Further, some regions maynot be cleaned to result in lowering of cleaning efficiency. In thiscase, a user may reduce a cleaning time by firstly cleaning someregions, or by repeatedly cleaning only some regions.

In the conventional robot cleaner, as shown in the following precedentpatent documents 1 and 2, a user positions a robot cleaner below aposition recognition mark installed on the ceiling within an operationregion. Then, if the user controls the robot cleaner to remember anidentification number of each room, the robot cleaner can distinguish aplurality of operation regions from each other. However, in this case,the following problems may occur. Firstly, in order to set a position ofa specific region, the user should mount the position recognition markon the ceiling. Further, a recognition function by the robot cleaner maybe degraded as dust or foreign materials cling to the positionrecognition mark.

In the conventional robot cleaner, as shown in the following precedentpatent document 3, light is emitted from a laser point of a remotecontroller so that a specific region can be cleaned. Then the emittedlight is reflected with a value. Based on the value, a position of therobot cleaner can be detected. However, in this case, it is difficult todetect a precise position according to a form of a bottom floor.Further, in a case where a specific region is set by the laser point ofthe remote control unit, there may be some points within the region, onwhich the robot cleaner can not move.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Therefore, an aspect of the detailed description is to provide a robotcleaner capable of performing a cleaning operation by setting a desiredregion without using the conventional position recognition mark or theconventional laser point of a remote control unit, and a controllingmethod of the same.

Another aspect of the detailed description is to provide a robot cleanercapable of performing a cleaning operation with respect to only a user'sdesired region, in a repeated and concentrated manner, a controllingmethod of the same, and a robot cleaning system.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof this specification, as embodied and broadly described herein, thereis provided a robot cleaner, comprising: a driving unit configured tomove the robot cleaner; a region setting module configured to set adesignated region within a cleaning region, by operating the drivingunit according to a designated region setting command; a control unitconfigured to perform a cleaning operation with respect to thedesignated region, according to a cleaning command; and a cleaning unitconfigured to suck dust or foreign materials within the cleaning regionor the designated region, according to the cleaning command.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda robot cleaner, comprising: a driving unit configured to move the robotcleaner; a region setting module configured to set a designated regionwithin a cleaning region, by operating the driving unit according to adesignated region setting command; a control unit configured to performa cleaning operation with respect to the designated region, according toa cleaning command; a cleaning unit configured to suck dust or foreignmaterials within the cleaning region or the designated region, accordingto the cleaning command; and a communication unit configured to receivea remote control signal from an external device, wherein the controlunit further comprises a command extraction module configured toextract, from the remote control signal, a control command including thedesignated region setting command and the cleaning command.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof this specification, as embodied and broadly described herein, thereis also provided a robot cleaning system, comprising: a robot cleanerprovided with a designated region cleaning mode, and configured to set adesignated region within a cleaning region based on a designated regionsetting command, and to perform a cleaning operation with respect to thedesignated region based on a cleaning command; and a terminal deviceconfigured to receive the designated region setting command according tothe designated region cleaning mode or the cleaning command, and then totransmit the command to the robot cleaner.

The terminal device may comprise an input unit configured to receive thedesignated region setting command and the cleaning command; a controlunit configured to generate a remote control signal according to thedesignated region cleaning mode, in accordance with a communicationprotocol with the robot cleaner; and a communication unit configured totransmit the remote control signal to the robot cleaner.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof this specification, as embodied and broadly described herein, thereis still also provided a method for controlling a robot cleaner,comprising: receiving a designated region setting command; running on acleaning region according to the designated region setting command;setting a designated region within the cleaning region; and performing acleaning operation with respect to the designated region, according to acleaning command.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method for controlling a robot cleaner, comprising: receiving a remotecontrol signal from an external device; extracting, from the remotecontrol signal, a control command including a designated region settingcommand and a cleaning command; receiving a designated region settingcommand; running on a cleaning region according to the designated regionsetting command; setting a designated region within the cleaning region;and performing a cleaning operation with respect to the designatedregion, according to a cleaning command.

The present invention can have the following advantages.

Firstly, the robot cleaner can perform a cleaning operation with respectto only a user's desired region, in a repeated and concentrated manner,without using the conventional position recognition mark or theconventional laser point of a remote control unit. As an additionalposition recognition mark is not required, additional costs can bereduced, and a malfunction of the laser point can be prevented.

Secondly, as the robot cleaner runs on a user's desired region in amanual manner, a designated region can be precisely set. Further, as thedesignated region is cleaned in a repeated and concentrated manner,cleaning efficiency and a user's convenience can be enhanced.

Thirdly, as the robot cleaner performs a cleaning operation by setting auser's desired region, only a simple configuration is added to aterminal device such as a remote control unit. Accordingly, additionalcosts can be reduced, and a malfunction can be prevented.

Further scope of applicability of the present application will becomemore apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However,it should be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the disclosure, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the disclosure will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of thedisclosure.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a robotcleaner according to preferred embodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 2 to 4 are block diagrams illustrating a detailed configuration ofa robot cleaner according to preferred embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a view schematically illustrating a configuration of a robotcleaning system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration ofa terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an appearance of a terminal deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 8A to 8E are views illustrating one example of an operation to seta designated region according to preferred embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating an operation to create a rectangularclosed loop shown in FIGS. 8A to 8E;

FIGS. 10A to 10E are views illustrating another example of an operationto set a designated region according to preferred embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating an operation to create a rectangularclosed loop shown in FIGS. 10A to 10E;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are views illustrating still another example of anoperation to set a designated region according to preferred embodimentsof the present invention; and

FIGS. 14 to 16 are flowcharts schematically illustrating a method forcontrolling a robot cleaner according to preferred embodiments of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Description will now be given in detail of the exemplary embodiments,with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the sake of briefdescription with reference to the drawings, the same or equivalentcomponents will be provided with the same reference numbers, anddescription thereof will not be repeated.

Referring to FIG. 5, a robot cleaning system according to an embodimentcomprises a robot cleaner 100 and a terminal device 200. The robotcleaner 100 is provided with a designated region cleaning mode, and isconfigured to set a designated region within a cleaning region based ona designated region setting command, and to perform a cleaning operationwith respect to the designated region based on a cleaning command.Terminal devices 200 a, 200 b and 200 c are configured to receive thedesignated region setting command according to the designated regioncleaning mode, or the cleaning command, and then to transmit the commandto the robot cleaner.

Generally, a terminal device is categorized into a mobile/portableterminal and a stationary terminal according to a movable state. In thepresent invention, the terminal device includes the mobile terminal andthe stationary terminal. Also, the terminal is categorized into ahandheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to a user'sportable state. For instance, the terminal device includes a cell-phone(PCS phone), a smart phone, a notebook (laptop computer), a digitalbroadcasting terminal, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), a PortableMultimedia Player (PMP), a navigation system, etc. A robot cleaningsystem may have a different network scheme according to a type of theterminal device. For instance, in case of a cell-phone or a smart phone,the robot cleaning system may use a mobile communication network such as3G, CDMA and WCDMA. In this case, the robot cleaner and the terminaldevice transmit or receive radio signals to/from a base station, anexternal terminal device, a server, etc. on a mobile communicationnetwork. As shown in FIG. 7, the terminal device 200 may be a remotecontrol unit of a simple form. The remote control unit is configured totransmit/receive signals to/from the robot cleaner using an infrared raycommunication.

Referring to FIG. 6, the terminal device 200 comprises an input unit 210configured to receive the designated region setting command and thecleaning command; a control unit 220 configured to generate a remotecontrol signal according to the designated region cleaning mode, inaccordance with a communication protocol with the robot cleaner; and acommunication unit 230 configured to transmit the remote control signalto the robot cleaner.

Referring to FIG. 7, the input unit 210 is provided with one or morebuttons. The input unit 210 comprises a designated region button 211 formaking the robot cleaner enter the designated region cleaning mode, oneor more directional buttons 213 for driving the robot cleaner so thatthe robot cleaner can set the designated region, and a start button 215for inputting an operation start command. The input unit 210 may furthercomprise a stop button 217 for stopping the robot cleaner after therobot cleaner sets the designated region. The stop button 217 may alsoserve as a cleaning stop command for stopping the robot cleaner during acleaning operation, or a cleaning end command.

The communication unit 230 transmits, to the robot cleaner 100, a remotecontrol signal generated by the control unit 220, and receives, from therobot cleaner 100, one or more data including image information or acleaning map. Said one or more data indicates image information,obstacle information, position information, a cleaning map, a cleaningregion, state information, etc. The control unit 220 generates a remotecontrol signal according to a user's command. The control commandincludes a cleaning start command or a cleaning stop command. Further,the control command includes a designated region setting command and acleaning command for cleaning a designated region.

For instance, if a user presses the designated region button 211 of FIG.7, the control unit 220 converts a designated region setting commandinto a remote control signal. Then the control unit 230 transmits theremote control signal to the robot cleaner. Once the designated regionsetting command is input, the robot cleaner may initialize the existingmap information. Once a user presses the directional buttons 213 afterpressing the designated region button 211, the control unit 220continues to generate remote control signals and transmit the signals tothe robot cleaner. Then the robot cleaner sets a designated region whilerunning on a cleaning region, according to the remote control signals.

The terminal device may further comprise a memory 240. The memory 240may store therein programs for driving the control unit 220. The memory240 may store therein data to be input/output. The memory 240 may storetherein, in a pattern manner, remote control signals for controlling therobot cleaner, and control commands corresponding to the remote controlsignals.

The display unit 250 displays information processed by the terminaldevice. That is, the display unit 250 displays a control screen. Thedisplay unit 250 may display various types of information received fromthe robot cleaner, or various types of control commands input by a user,etc. The display unit 250 may include at least one of a Liquid CrystalDisplay (LCD), a Thin Film Transistor-LCD (TFT-LCD), an Organic LightEmitting Diode (OLED) display, a flexible display and athree-dimensional (3D) display. The display unit 250 may be providedwith various types of buttons of the input unit in an icon manner.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the robot cleaner according to oneembodiment comprises a driving unit 110 for moving the robot cleaner, acontrol unit 120 and a cleaning unit 130.

The robot cleaner is provided with right and left main wheels at twolower sides thereof. A handgrip may be installed at two side surfaces ofthe wheels, for facilitation of a user's grasp. The driving unit 110 isprovided with wheel motors connected to the right and left main wheels,and configured to move the robot cleaner by driving the wheel motors.The wheel motors are connected to the main wheels, respectively thus torotate the main wheels, and can be rotated in two directions in anindependent manner. And the robot cleaner is provided with one or moreauxiliary wheels on the rear surface thereof. The auxiliary wheels serveto support a body of the robot cleaner, to minimize friction between alower surface of the body and the bottom surface (surface to becleaned), and to allow the robot cleaner to smoothly move.

The cleaning unit 130 is configured to suck dust or foreign materialswithin a cleaning region or a designated region according to a cleaningcommand. The cleaning unit 130 comprises a dust box configured to storetherein collected dust particles, a suction fan configured to provide adriving power to suck dust within a cleaning region, and a suction motorconfigured to suck air by rotating the suction fan. Referring to FIG. 1,the cleaning unit 130 further includes an agitator 131 rotatably mountedto a lower part of the body of the robot cleaner, and a side brushconfigured to clean a corner or an edge of a wall, etc. with rotatingcentering around a vertical shaft of the body. The agitator 131 makesdust particles on the floor or a carpet move to the air with rotatingcentering around a horizontal shaft of the body of the robot cleaner. Aplurality of blades are provided on an outer circumferential surface ofthe agitator 131 in a spiral form. A brush may be provided between theblades.

The control unit 120 comprises a region setting module 121 configured toset a designated region within a cleaning region by operating thedriving unit 110 according to a designated region setting command. Oncea user inputs a designated region setting command to the robot cleaner,the control unit sets a designated region while running on a cleaningregion, according to the designated region setting command. Thedesignated region setting command comprises a designated region settingstart command, a designated region setting completion command, a runningcommand for a designated region setting, etc.

The control unit 120 is configured to perform a cleaning operation withrespect to a designated region according to a cleaning command. That is,once a cleaning command is input, the control unit starts to perform acleaning operation with respect to a cleaning region or a designatedregion, using the cleaning unit such as the suction fan and the suctionmotor. The cleaning command comprises a cleaning start command, acleaning stop command, etc. The cleaning command further comprises oneor more information among a cleaning type, the number of times ofcleaning, whether to repeatedly perform a cleaning operation or not, anda cleaning start time.

The robot cleaner further comprises a storage unit 140 configured tostore therein at least one of image information, obstacle information,position information, a cleaning map and a cleaning region. The storageunit 140 is configured to store therein a control program forcontrolling the robot cleaner, and data associated with the controlprogram. The storage unit 140 may further store therein a cleaning typeand a running type. As the storage unit 140, a non-volatile memory (NVM,NVRAM) is mainly used. The NVM indicates a storage device capable ofmaintaining stored information even if power is not supplied thereto.The NVM includes a ROM, a flash memory, a magnetic computer memorydevice (e.g., a hard disk, a diskette drive, and a magnetic tape), anoptical drive, a magnetic RAM, a PRAM, etc.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a robot cleaner according to anotherembodiment of the present invention comprises a driving unit 110configured to move the robot cleaner; a region setting module 121configured to set a designated region within a cleaning region, byoperating the driving unit according to a designated region settingcommand; a control unit 120 configured to perform a cleaning operationwith respect to the designated region, according to a cleaning command;a cleaning unit 130 configured to suck dust or foreign materials withinthe cleaning region or the designated region, according to the cleaningcommand; and a communication unit 150 configured to receive a remotecontrol signal from an external device. Explanations about the drivingunit 110, the cleaning unit 130 and the storage unit 140 will beomitted, since they have been already explained in the aforementionedembodiment.

The communication unit 150 receives a remote control signal from anexternal terminal device, and transmits a response signal to the remotecontrol signal, i.e., one or more data, to the external terminal device.The control unit 120 controls the robot cleaner according to a remotecontrol signal, and generates a response signal according to a controlresult. The control unit 120 further comprises a command extractionmodule 123 configured to extract, from a remote control signal, acontrol command including a designated region setting command and acleaning command.

The communication unit 150 is connected to the terminal device through acommunication method among currently-available communication methodsincluding a wired communication method, a radio communication method anda satellite communication method, thereby exchanging signals and datawith the terminal device. The communication unit 150 receives a remotecontrol signal from the terminal device, and transmits state informationof the robot cleaner, obstacle information, position information, imageinformation, a cleaning map, etc. to the terminal device. Furthermore,the communication unit 150 may perform communication with the terminaldevice, using one of short-range radio communications including a radiofrequency (RF) communication, Bluetooth, an infrared ray communication(IrDA), a wireless LAN, zigbee, etc. For instance, if the terminaldevice is a smart phone, the robot cleaner may be further provided witha communication unit according to a communication method which can beused by the smart phone. The communication unit 150 receives, from theterminal device 200, cleaning reservation information of the robotcleaner. The control unit 120 performs a cleaning operation based on thecleaning reservation information.

In a case where the robot cleaning system is provided with the terminaldevice of FIG. 7, the communication unit transmits/receives signalsto/from the terminal device, using an infrared ray communication method,etc. Once a user presses the designated region button 211, the terminaldevice generates a remote control signal according to a designatedregion setting command, and transmits the remote control signal to thecommunication unit. Then the communication unit transmits the receivedremote control signal to the control unit. The command extraction module123 extracts the designated region setting command from the remotecontrol signal. The control unit 120 may delete information on acleaning type and a cleaning region, by resetting the storage unit 140.In this case, the storage unit 140 may backup information prior toexecution of the designated region setting command.

The region setting module 121 sets a designated region based on arunning path after receiving the designated region setting command. Forinstance, if a user presses the designated region button 211 of theterminal device shown in FIG. 7, the terminal device transmits adesignated region setting command to the robot cleaner. The control unitstops the current command, according to the designated region settingcommand. Then if the user presses the directional button 213, thecontrol unit controls the robot cleaner to run by operating the drivingunit, and generates a running path. Hereinafter, an operation to set adesignated region and perform a cleaning operation by the robot cleaner,will be explained with reference to FIGS. 8A to 13.

FIGS. 8A to 8E and 9 are views illustrating an example to set adesignated region, in which a running path of the robot cleaner isimplemented as a closed loop. If a user presses the directional buttonto drive the robot cleaner in a manual manner, the robot cleaner sets arunning path as shown in FIG. 8A. Referring to FIG. 8B, the regionsetting module 121 approximates a running path according to a designatedregion setting command input by the user. Referring to FIG. 8C, theregion setting module 121 may set a rectangular designated region, usingmaximum values and minimum values in a vertical direction and ahorizontal direction of the running path. Then the control unit performsa cleaning operation with respect to the designated region. That is, ifa user presses the start button 215 of the terminal device shown in FIG.7 after a designated region is set, the control unit performs a cleaningoperation with respect to the set designated region as shown in FIGS. 8Dand 8E. Preferably, the robot cleaner moves with a width correspondingto its radius. FIGS. 8D and 8E illustrate an example of a cleaning type.The robot cleaner may adopt a random type, a spiral type, and so on, aswell as a zigzag type. In case of the zigzag type, the robot cleaner mayfirstly perform a zigzag cleaning in a horizontal direction (long-axis)within a closed loop as shown in FIG. 8D. Then the robot cleaner mayperform a zigzag cleaning in a vertical direction (short-axis) as shownin FIG. 8E. However, the robot cleaner may perform a zigzag cleaning inother manner.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating an example to set a designated region of arectangular shape. As shown in FIG. 9, the region setting module 121sets a quadrangular designated region, by extracting a minimum value(X_LEFT) and a maximum value (X_RIGHT) on an X-axis within a runningpath, and a minimum value (Y_BOTTOM) and a maximum value (Y_TOP) on aY-axis.

FIGS. 10A to 10E and 11 are views illustrating another example to set adesignated region, in which a running path of the robot cleaner is notimplemented as a closed loop. If a user presses the directional buttonto drive the robot cleaner in a manual manner, the robot cleaner sets arunning path as shown in FIG. 10A. Referring to FIG. 10B, the regionsetting module 121 approximates a running path according to a designatedregion setting command input by the user. Referring to FIG. 10C, theregion setting module 121 may set a rectangular designated region, usingmaximum values and minimum values in a vertical direction and ahorizontal direction of the running path. Then the control unit performsa cleaning operation with respect to the designated region. That is, ifa user presses the start button 215 of the terminal device shown in FIG.7 after a designated region is set, the control unit performs a cleaningoperation with respect to the set designated region as shown in FIGS.10D and 10E.

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating another example to set a designatedregion of a quadrangular shape. As shown in FIG. 11, the region settingmodule 121 sets a quadrangular designated region, by extracting aminimum value (X_LEFT) and a maximum value (X_RIGHT) on an X-axis withina running path, and a minimum value (Y_BOTTOM) and a maximum value(Y_TOP) on a Y-axis. Referring to FIG. 11, X_LEFT is ‘X1’, X_RIGHT is‘X3’, Y_BOTTOM is ‘Y1’, and Y_TOP is ‘Y2’.

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating still another example to set a designatedregion in an approximation manner. That is, the region setting module121 stores a polygonal designated region, using positions from a startposition (X0, Y0) to an end position (Xn, Yn). The region setting module121 sets a designated region, by moving a closed loop region toward anX-axis direction and a Y-axis direction, by an arbitrary value (e.g., 10cm), and then by storing the moved position. The region setting module121 calculates a long axis and a short axis by comparing a length of theX-axis, with a length of the Y-axis.

Referring to FIG. 13, even in a case where a running path implementedaccording to a user's designated region setting command is not a closedloop, the region setting module 121 may set a designated region bysimply connecting a start position and an end position on the runningpath with each other, unlike in FIG. 11.

Referring to FIG. 4, the robot cleaner may further comprise an imagedetection unit 161 configured to detect image information by capturing aperipheral space of the robot cleaner. The image detection unit 161 maybe provided with an upper camera sensor installed toward the upper sideor the front side. If the image detection unit 161 is provided with aplurality of upper camera sensors, the camera sensors may be formed onthe upper surface or the side surface of the robot cleaner, at constantintervals or at constant angles. The image detection unit 161 mayfurther comprise a camera, a lens connected to the camera and focusingthe camera on the subject, a camera control unit configured to controlthe camera, and a lens control unit configured to control the lens. Asthe lens, preferably used is a lens having a wide view angle so that allthe peripheral regions, e.g., all the regions on the ceiling may becaptured at a predetermined position. The control unit 120 may furthercomprise a position recognition module 125 configured to recognize aposition of the robot cleaner using image information. The positionrecognition module 125 may extract feature points from image informationcaptured by the image detection unit 161, thereby recognizing a positionof the robot cleaner based on the feature points. The control unit 120may further comprise a map creation module 127 configured to create amap with respect to a cleaning region using image information, based onthe position of the robot cleaner recognized by the position recognitionmodule 125.

Referring to FIG. 4 back, the robot cleaner further comprises anobstacle detection unit 163 having one or more sensors, and configuredto detect peripheral obstacles using detection signals of the sensors,and to output obstacle information. The position recognition module 125recognizes a position of the robot cleaner using obstacle informationrather than image information, or using both of the image informationand the obstacle information. The map creation module 127 may create amap with respect to a cleaning region, using obstacle information ratherthan image information, or using both of the image information and theobstacle information, based on the position of the robot cleanerrecognized by the position recognition module 125.

As shown in FIG. 1, the obstacle detection unit 163 comprises firstsensors 163 a installed on an outer circumferential surface of the robotcleaner at constant intervals. The obstacle detection unit 163 may alsocomprise second sensors protruding towards outside of the body.Positions and types of the first sensors and the second sensors may bevariable according to a type of the robot cleaner, and the obstacledetection unit may comprise various types of sensors. The first sensors163 a are configured to detect an object which exists in a movingdirection of the robot cleaner, i.e. an obstacle, and then transmitsobstacle information to the control unit 120. That is, the first sensorsdetect protrusions, appliances, furniture, wall surfaces, wall corners,etc. which exist on a moving path of the robot cleaner, and thentransmits obstacle information to the control unit 120. The first sensormay be implemented as an infrared ray sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, anRF sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, etc. The second sensors detect anobstacle which exists at the front or lateral side, and transmitsobstacle information to the control unit 120. That is, the secondsensors detect protrusions, appliances, furniture, wall surfaces, wallcorners, etc. which exist on a moving path of the robot cleaner, andthen transmit obstacle information to the control unit 120. The secondsensor may be implemented as an infrared ray sensor, an ultrasonicsensor, an RF sensor, a position sensitive device (PSD) sensor, etc.

The obstacle detection unit 163 may further comprise a cliff sensorinstalled at the bottom surface of the body, and configured to detect anobstacle which is on the floor, e.g., a cliff. The cliff sensor isconfigured to obtain stable measurement values regardless ofreflectivity of the floor and a color difference. Like the PSD sensor,the cliff sensor may be implemented in the form of an infrared raymodule.

The obstacle detection unit 163 may further comprise a charging signalsensor (not shown) for receiving a guide signal transmitted from acharging station. The robot cleaner receives a guide signal transmittedfrom the charging station using the charging signals sensor, therebychecking a position and a direction of the charging station. Thecharging station creates a guide signal indicating a direction and adistance so that the robot cleaner can return to the charging station.The robot cleaner receives the guide signal transmitted from thecharging station, and determines the current position and sets a movingdirection. Then the robot cleaner returns to the charging station. Thecharging signal sensor may be implemented as an infrared ray sensor, anultrasonic sensor, a radio frequency (RF) sensor, etc, and may begenerally used as an infrared ray sensor.

The robot cleaner may further comprise wheel sensors 165 connected toright and left main wheels 111, and sensing RPMs of the right and leftmain wheels 111. The wheel sensors 165 may be implemented as a rotaryencoder. When the robot cleaner moves in a running mode or a cleaningmode, the rotary encoder senses RPMs of the right and left main wheels,and outputs the sensed RPMs. The control unit 120 may calculate rotationspeeds of the right and left main wheels based on the sensed RPMs.

The robot cleaner may further comprise an input unit 170 through which auser directly inputs a control command to the robot cleaner. The usermay input, through the input unit 170, a command instructing output ofone or more information among information stored in a storage unit 140.The input unit 170 may be implemented as one or more buttons. Forinstance, the input unit 170 may comprise an OK button and a set button.The OK button is used to input a command for checking obstacleinformation, position information, image information, a cleaning region,a cleaning map, etc. The set button is used to input a command forsetting such information. The input unit may be provided with a resetbutton for inputting a command for resetting such information, adeletion button, a cleaning start button, a stop button, etc. As anotherexample, the input unit 170 may be provided with a button for settingreservation information, or a button for deleting reservationinformation. The input unit 170 may be further provided with a buttonfor setting a cleaning mode, or a button for changing a cleaning mode.The input unit 170 may be further provided with a button for inputting acommand instructing the robot cleaner to return to a charging station.As shown in FIG. 1, the input unit 170 may be installed at an upper partof the robot cleaner, in the form of hard or soft keys, a touch pad,etc. The input unit 170 may be implemented in the form of a touch screentogether with an output unit.

Referring to FIG. 4 back, the robot cleaner may further comprise anoutput unit 180. As shown in FIG. 1, the output unit 180 is installed atan upper part of the robot cleaner. In this case, an installationposition or an installation type may be variable. For instance, theoutput unit 180 outputs, to a screen, reservation information, a batterystate, intensive cleaning, space extension, a cleaning or runningoperation in a zigzag form, a cleaning operation with respect to adesignated region, etc. The output unit 180 may output the currentcleaning state of the robot cleaner, and the current state of each unitof the robot cleaner. The output unit 180 may display, on the screen,obstacle information, position information, image information, acleaning map, a cleaning region, a designated region, etc. The outputunit 180 may be implemented as one of a light emitting diode (LED), aliquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and anorganic light emitting diode (OLED).

Referring to FIG. 4, the robot cleaner may further comprise a power unit190. The power unit 190 is provided with a chargeable battery to supplypower into the robot cleaner. The power unit 190 supplies, to each unit,a driving power and an operation power required when the robot cleanermoves or when the robot cleaner performs a cleaning operation. When theremaining amount of power is deficient, the robot cleaner moves to acharging station to be supplied with a charging current. The robotcleaner further includes a battery sensing unit (not shown) configuredto sense a charged state of a battery, and to transmit detectioninformation to the control unit 120. As the battery is connected to thebattery sensing unit, the remaining amount and a charged state of thebattery are transmitted to the control unit 120. The remaining amount ofbattery power may be displayed on the screen of the output unit.

Referring to FIG. 14, a method for controlling a robot cleaner accordingto an embodiment of the present invention comprises receiving adesignated region setting command (S100), running on a cleaning regionaccording to the designated region setting command (S200), setting adesignated region within the cleaning region (S300), and performing acleaning operation with respect to the designated region (S400).Explanations about the components will be performed with reference toFIGS. 1 to 7.

The robot cleaner receives a designated region setting command, from theinput unit or an external terminal device (S100). The robot cleanerdrives the driving unit according to the designated region settingcommand, thereby setting a designated region within a cleaning region(S300). More specifically, once a user inputs a designated regionsetting command to the robot cleaner (S100), the robot cleaner runs on acleaning region, according to the designated region setting command(S200). Then the robot cleaner sets a designated region based on arunning path (S300). The designated region setting command comprises adesignated region setting start command, a designated region settingcompletion command, a running command for setting a designated region,etc.

The robot cleaner performs a cleaning operation with respect to adesignated region according to a cleaning command (S400). That is, oncea cleaning command is input, the robot cleaner starts to perform acleaning operation with respect to a cleaning region or a designatedregion, using the cleaning unit such as the suction fan and the suctionmotor. The cleaning command comprises a cleaning start command, acleaning stop command, etc. The cleaning command further comprises oneor more information among a cleaning type, the number of times ofcleaning, whether to repeatedly perform a cleaning operation or not, anda cleaning start time.

Referring to FIG. 15, a method for controlling a robot cleaner accordingto another embodiment of the present invention comprises: receiving aremote control signal from an external device (S110); extracting, fromthe remote control signal, a control command including a designatedregion setting command and a cleaning command (S120); receiving adesignated region setting command (S130); running on a cleaning regionaccording to the designated region setting command (S200); setting adesignated region within the cleaning region (S300); and performing acleaning operation with respect to the designated region, according to acleaning command (S400). Explanations about the components will beperformed with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7.

The robot cleaner receives a remote control signal from an externalterminal device (S110), and transmits a response signal to the remotecontrol signal, i.e., one or more data, to the external terminal device.For instance, in a case where a user wishes to perform a cleaningoperation with respect to a designated region by pressing the designatedregion button, the terminal device generates a remote control signalaccording to a designated region setting command, and transmits thegenerated remote control signal to the robot cleaner. Then the robotcleaner receives the remote control signal using the communication unit(S110). Then the robot cleaner extracts the designated region settingcommand, from the remote control signal (S120). The robot cleaner maydelete information on a cleaning type and a cleaning region, byresetting the memory mounted therein. The robot cleaner may backupinformation prior to execution of the designated region setting command.

If an extracted control command is a designated region setting command,the robot cleaner runs on a cleaning region according to the designatedregion setting command (S200), and sets a designated region based on arunning path (S300). For instance, if a user presses the designatedregion button of FIG. 7, the terminal device converts a designatedregion setting command into a remote control signal. Then the terminaldevice transmits the remote control signal to the robot cleaner. Therobot cleaner stops the current command according to the designatedregion setting command. Then if the user presses the directional button,the robot cleaner runs using the driving unit, and generates a runningpath (S200). Hereinafter, an operation to set a designated region andperform a cleaning operation by the robot cleaner, will be explainedwith reference to FIGS. 8A to 13.

FIGS. 8A to 8E and 9 are views illustrating an example to set adesignated region, in which a running path of the robot cleaner isimplemented as a closed loop. If a user presses the directional buttonto drive the robot cleaner in a manual manner, the robot cleaner sets arunning path as shown in FIG. 8A (S200). Referring to FIG. 8B, the robotcleaner approximates a running path according to a designated regionsetting command input by the user. Referring to FIG. 8C, the robotcleaner may set a rectangular designated region, using maximum valuesand minimum values in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction ofthe running path (S300). Then the robot cleaner performs a cleaningoperation with respect to the designated region (S400). That is, if auser presses the start button of the terminal device shown in FIG. 7after a designated region is set, the terminal device transmits, to therobot cleaner, a remote control signal according to a cleaning startcommand (S110). If the remote control signal is a cleaning start command(S140), the robot cleaner performs a cleaning operation with respect tothe set designated region as shown in FIGS. 8D and 8E (S400).Preferably, the robot cleaner moves in a width corresponding to itsradius. FIGS. 8D and 8E illustrate an example of a cleaning type. Therobot cleaner may adopt a random type, a spiral type, and so on, as wellas a zigzag type. In case of the zigzag type, the robot cleaner mayfirstly perform a zigzag cleaning in a horizontal direction (long-axis)within a closed loop as shown in FIG. 8D. Then the robot cleaner mayperform a zigzag cleaning in a vertical direction (short-axis) as shownin FIG. 8E. However, the robot cleaner may perform a zigzag cleaning inother manner. If an extracted control command is a repetition command,e.g., if a repetition button of the terminal device is pressed (S150),the robot cleaner may repeatedly perform a cleaning operation withrespect to a designated region. Alternatively, if an extracted controlcommand is a cleaning stop command (S160), the robot cleaner mayimmediately stop a cleaning operation with respect to a designatedregion.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating an example to set a designated region of aquadrangular shape. As shown in FIG. 9, the robot cleaner sets aquadrangular designated region, by extracting a minimum value (X_LEFT)and a maximum value (X_RIGHT) on an X-axis within a running path, and aminimum value (Y_BOTTOM) and a maximum value (Y_TOP) on a Y-axis.

FIGS. 10A to 10E and 11 are views illustrating another example to set adesignated region, in which a running path of the robot cleaner is notimplemented as a closed loop. If a user presses the directional buttonto drive the robot cleaner in a manual manner (S200), the robot cleanersets a running path as shown in FIG. 10A (S300). Referring to FIG. 10B,the robot cleaner approximates a running path according to a designatedregion setting command input by the user. Referring to FIG. 10C, therobot cleaner may set a rectangular designated region, using maximumvalues and minimum values in a vertical direction and a horizontaldirection within the running path. Then the robot cleaner performs acleaning operation with respect to the designated region (S400). Thatis, if a user presses the start button of the terminal device shown inFIG. 7 after a designated region is set, the robot cleaner performs acleaning operation with respect to the set designated region as shown inFIGS. 10D and 10E (S400).

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating another example to set a designatedregion of a quadrangular shape. As shown in FIG. 11, the region settingmodule 121 sets a quadrangular designated region, by extracting aminimum value (X_LEFT) and a maximum value (X_RIGHT) on an X-axis withina running path, and a minimum value (Y_BOTTOM) and a maximum value(Y_TOP) on a Y-axis. Referring to FIG. 11, X_LEFT is ‘X1’, X_RIGHT is‘X3’, Y_BOTTOM is ‘Y1’, and Y_TOP is ‘Y2’.

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating still another example to set a designatedregion in an approximation manner. That is, the robot cleaner stores apolygonal designated region, using positions from a start position (X0,Y0) to an end position (Xn, Yn). The robot cleaner sets a designatedregion, by moving a closed loop region toward an X-axis direction and aY-axis direction, by an arbitrary value (e.g., 10 cm), and then bystoring the moved position. The robot cleaner calculates a long axis anda short axis by comparing a length of the X-axis, with a length of theY-axis.

Referring to FIG. 13, even in a case where a running path implementedaccording to a user's designated region setting command is not a closedloop, the robot cleaner may set a designated region by simply connectinga start position and an end position on the running path with eachother, unlike in FIG. 11.

Referring to FIG. 16, the robot cleaner may detect image information bycapturing a peripheral space using the image detection unit (S10). Therobot cleaner may recognize its position based on the image information(S30). The robot cleaner may extract feature points from the imageinformation, and may recognize its position based on the extractedfeature points. The robot cleaner may create a map with respect to acleaning region, based on the image information and the positioninformation (S40). The designated region may be displayed on the mapwith respect to a cleaning region.

Referring to FIG. 16, the robot cleaner may detect an obstacle within acleaning region, based on a signal sensed by the obstacle detection unit(S20). The robot cleaner recognizes its position using obstacleinformation rather than image information, or using both of the imageinformation and the obstacle information (S30). The robot cleaner maycreate a map with respect to a cleaning region, using obstacleinformation rather than image information, or using both of the imageinformation and the obstacle information, based on the recognizedposition (S40).

As aforementioned, the present invention can have the followingadvantages.

Firstly, as the robot cleaner runs on a user's desired region in amanual manner, a designated region can be precisely set. The designatedregion can be cleaned in a repeated and concentrated manner.

Further, as the robot cleaner performs a cleaning operation by setting auser's desired region, only a simple configuration is added to aterminal device such as a remote control unit. Accordingly, additionalcosts can be reduced, and a malfunction can be prevented.

The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and arenot to be considered as limiting the present disclosure. The presentteachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. Thisdescription is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scopeof the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will beapparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods,and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described hereinmay be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternativeexemplary embodiments.

As the present features may be embodied in several forms withoutdeparting from the characteristics thereof, it should also be understoodthat the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of thedetails of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, butrather should be considered broadly within its scope as defined in theappended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fallwithin the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalents of such metesand bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A robot cleaner, comprising: a driving unit configured to move the robot cleaner; a control unit comprising a region setting module configured to set a designated region within a cleaning region, and configured to perform a cleaning operation with respect to the designated region according to a cleaning command, wherein the designated region is formed based on a running path of the robot cleaner according to a designated region setting command inputted by a user and transmitted from a terminal device that is separated from the robot cleaner; and a cleaning unit configured to suck dust or foreign materials within the designated region, according to the cleaning command, wherein the designated region is formed before performing the cleaning operation, and the running path is generated based on a path of sequential changing moving directions of the running robot cleaner according to a user input.
 2. The robot cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a communication unit configured to receive a remote control signal from an external device, wherein the control unit further comprises a command extraction module configured to extract, from the remote control signal, a control command including the designated region setting command and the cleaning command.
 3. The robot cleaner of claim 2, further comprising: an image detection unit configured to detect image information by capturing a peripheral space; and an obstacle detection unit having one or more sensors, and configured to detect one or more obstacles on the cleaning region using detection signals from the one or more sensors, and to output obstacle information.
 4. The robot cleaner of claim 3, wherein the control unit further comprises: a position recognition module configured to recognize a position of the robot cleaner using one of the image information and the obstacle information, or both the image information and the obstacle information; and a map creation module configured to create a map with respect to the cleaning region, using one of the image information and the obstacle information, or both the image information and the obstacle information, based on the position of the robot cleaner recognized by the position recognition module.
 5. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the region setting module sets a designated region into a rectangular shape, using maximum values and minimum values in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction of the running path.
 6. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the region setting module sets the designated region by connecting a start position and an end position on the running path with each other when the running path according to the designated region setting command is not a closed loop.
 7. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the region setting module sets the designated region into a polygonal shape by approximating the running path.
 8. The robot cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaning command comprises one or more among a cleaning type, the number of times of cleaning, whether to repeatedly perform a cleaning operation or not, and a cleaning start time.
 9. A robot cleaning system, comprising: a robot cleaner provided with a designated region cleaning mode, and configured to set a designated region within a cleaning region, and to perform a cleaning operation with respect to the designated region according to a cleaning command, wherein the designated region is formed based on a running path of the robot cleaner according to a designated region setting command inputted by a user and transmitted from a terminal device that is separated from the robot cleaner, and a terminal device configured to receive the designated region setting command according to the designated region cleaning mode, or the cleaning command, and then to transmit the command to the robot cleaner and the running path is generated based on a path of sequential changing moving directions of the running robot cleaner according to the user input.
 10. The robot cleaning system of claim 9, wherein the terminal device comprises: an input unit configured to receive the designated region setting command and the cleaning command; a control unit configured to generate a remote control signal according to the designated region cleaning mode, in accordance with a communication protocol with the robot cleaner; and a communication unit configured to transmit the remote control signal to the robot cleaner.
 11. The robot cleaning system of claim 10, wherein the input unit comprises: a designated region button for making the robot cleaner enter the designated region cleaning mode; one or more directional buttons for driving the robot cleaner such that the robot cleaner sets the designated region; and a start button for inputting an operation start command.
 12. A method for controlling a robot cleaner, comprising: receiving a designated region setting command transmitted from a terminal device that is separated from the robot cleaner, wherein the designated region setting command is different from a cleaning command; running on a cleaning region according to the designated region setting command; setting a designated region within the cleaning region, wherein the designated region is formed based on a running path of the robot cleaner according to the designated region setting command; and performing a cleaning operation with respect to the designated region, according to the cleaning command, wherein the running path is generated based on a path of sequential changing moving directions of the running robot cleaner according to a user input.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: receiving a remote control signal from an external device; and extracting, from the remote control signal, a control command including the designated region setting command and the cleaning command.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: detecting image information by capturing a peripheral space; detecting obstacle information about obstacles on the cleaning region; recognizing a position of the robot cleaner using one of the image information and the obstacle information, or both of the image information and the obstacle information; and creating a map with respect to the cleaning region, using one of the image information and the obstacle information, or both of the image information and the obstacle information, based on the recognized position of the robot cleaner.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein in the step of setting a designated region, the designated region is set into a rectangular shape using maximum values and minimum values in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction of the running path.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein in the step of setting a designated region, the designated region is set by connecting a start position and an end position on the running path with each other when the running path according to the designated region setting command is not a closed loop.
 17. The method of claim 12, wherein in the step of setting a designated region, the designated region is set into a polygonal shape by approximating the running path.
 18. The method of one of claim 12, wherein the cleaning command comprises one or more among a cleaning type, the number of times of cleaning, whether to repeatedly perform a cleaning operation or not, and a cleaning start time. 